Because of You
by hopeofsunshine
Summary: Katniss and Peeta have survived their last reaping and are now safe from the Hunger Games. Now that they are safe, will Peeta finally talk to Katniss or not?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I've had the inspiration for this story for a while. I know it has been done a lot, but I have my own twist on things. I have changed one thing and it is very important. All of the characters are older. Katniss and Peeta's last reaping would be for the 74****th**** hunger games. So at the start of this story, Gale is safe from the reaping, it is Prim's third reaping, and it's Katniss and Peeta's last reaping. Got that? Good! So here the story and enjoy!**

**(Katniss Pov)**

This is it. This is the last time that I will have to stand here and wait for the worst to happen. The last time the name, Katniss Everdeen, will be entered into the reaping bowl. I wish I could say the same for my sister, Primrose. This is only her second reaping. After today I can no longer protect her they way I can now.

Effie Trinket, the District 12 escort, with her pink hair walks over to the microphone on the stage. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She says in her ridiculous Capitol accent.

"Now let's pick the female tribute!" I hoping it's not me. Not me. Not Prim. Not my friend Madge, the mayor's daughter.

"Lillian Burton."

A small fourteen year old from the Seam walks to the stage with tears streaming down her face. Effie asks for volunteers, but as usual no one steps up. In other district where winning is an honor, they receive many volunteers. But here in 12, the word tribute basically means the same as the word corpse, so it's no wonder there are no volunteers.

Then Effie walks over to the bowl with all the boys' names in it. My best friend, Gale, is nineteen and is no longer in the reaping. Gale does have a younger brother, Rory, who is the same age as Prim.

"Jasper Beattie"

This time it is a boy from the Seam. He looks about seventeen. But unlike Lillian he doesn't cry. He walks up to the stage and then Mayor Undersee recites the Treaty of Treason. Mayor Undersee gives the same speech every year about how the Hunger Games are needed to keep us from rebelling again.

Seventy-four years ago, thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol. The districts were defeated and one was completely obliterated. That time is known as the Dark Days. As a result the Hunger Games were created. Every year one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts would be chosen to fight to death in an arena. Only one would win.

All I feel is relief. No one I know is going to his or her death, this year at least. I find Prim in the crowd and hug her.

" Your safe now Katniss." She says

" You are too for another year, my little duck."

I started calling Prim my little duck years ago when her shirt would stick out and form a ducktail. Our mom finds us in the crowd and she hugs. I know a death of another family member would crush her completely. My dad was blown to bits in a mine explosion when I was eleven. Our mom will never completely recover, and has been seven years.

She just laid in her bed while Prim and I slowly starved to death. We all would have been dead by now if we hadn't gotten help from the baker's son, Peeta Mellark.

The day he saved us was a rainy one. The money the district gave to recover and buy our mom to get a job had ran out. We had no money and no food. I took some of Prim's old baby clothes and tried to sell them in the market. No one wanted to buy old, tattered baby clothes. But, I was desperate. I can't let my family starve. I walked along the back of the stores of merchant's stores. I walked by the bakery, and the smell brought me to my knees. I was so hungry and it smelled so good. I crawled my way to the trashcans to see if there was anything in there. There was nothing.

At that moment the baker's wife came out of the bakery. It is no secret she hates people from the Seam, the poorer part of 12. She started to yell at me to leave or she would call the peacekeepers. I put the lid back on the trashcan and started to back away. I sat against an apple tree in their back yard and felt defeated. Mrs. Mellark then made her way back to the bakery.

I noticed Peeta, looking out the door behind is mother. Then he walked away from the door. Then suddenly yelling could be heard in the bakery. Then Peeta came walking out with burnt loaves and his mother yelling at him. She struck him with a rolling pin and his cheek and eye started to bruise.

"Feed it to the pigs, you idiot. No one is going to buy burned bread." She yelled.

Peeta then tour off some of the burned parts and threw it to the pigs. His mother returned back into the bakery. The second the door was shut; he looked at me and threw the two burned loaves in my direction. Then he too went back in the bakery.

I grabbed the loaves, stuck them under my shirt so that they wouldn't get hurt and ran home. I made Mom and Prim sit at the table while I sliced the burned parts of the bread. That night was the first time we had eaten in a long time. The next morning we ate the remainder of the bread and Prim and I went to school.

At the end of the day, as I was walking across the courtyard, Peeta and mine own eyes met. It was only for a moment, and I looked down immediately. It was then I saw the first dandelion this spring. Thought of hunting with my dad came to my mind and from then I knew how we would survive.

For some reason, I can't get rid of the connection of Peeta and the dandelion. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be standing where I am. I've never thanked him, even though I should.

From then on I've been hunting to keep us alive, even though it is illegal. A few months after I had been hunting I saw a snare in the woods and picked it up to examine it. I could remember my dad making one like these, but not quite as good as this one. The snare belonged to Gale, who at the time I didn't know. Soon after we became best friends and hunting partners. We told each other everything.

When we arrive back at home, Gale's family stays with us. Since none of us were reaped we have a reason to celebrate. Two families now are mourning. Our district has only two victors out of seventy-four years. Only one is living and his name is Haymitch Abernathy. Once you become a victor, the following year you mentor the tributes each year until someone else wins in our district.

We feast on the game Gale and I caught today. We have a stew made up of fish and greens, strawberries, and bread from the bakery instead of the rough bread we make from tessera. Tessera is a year's portion of oil and grain that you can get in exchange for you names being enter into the reaping more.

After our meal we all gather around the television and watch the recap of the reaping. It shows all the tributes reaped from all the districts in Panem. Watching the games are required of everyone. A few tributes stick out in my mind. The large boy from District 2 who volunteers, the sly red head from District 5, a strong boy from District 11, and the small twelve year old girl from District 11.

The girl from 11 whose name is Rue, reminds me so much of Prim. Though, they look nothing alike. Prim has blue eyes and blonde hair and Rue has her dark skin, hair, and eyes. Maybe it's that they both are twelve and young.

After the mandatory viewing for tonight, the Hawthorne's decide it is time for them to go. I walk them to the door, and say goodnight. Once they leave, I join Prim on the couch. Though she quickly gets tired and leans her head on my shoulder.

" Maybe you should go to bed Prim, you look tired."

" I'm not tired." She says, but her yawn in the middle of her sentence say other wise.

"C'mon it is time for bed."

"I don't want to go to bed."

"Well, we have school tomorrow and you need your sleep."

"Fine"

I smile at her and we go into our bedroom. Our mom is already asleep when we walk in. I quickly change into and crawl into bed with Prim. Our bedroom is small, and we only have two beds. Prim and I share one, and out mother has the other.

"Goodnight Prim" I whisper

"Goodnight Katniss" she whispers back


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here's the next chapter! Sorry about the wait. I jumped straight to the first day of the games. Oh and thank you for the reviews and alerts!**

**(Katniss Pov)**

I sit with Prim and my mother on the couch. A peacekeeper comes along and makes sure that we are indeed watching the games. School and work have both been cancelled because today is the first day of the Hunger Games. The tributes have just been lifted in the arena.

"Let the seventy-four annual Hunger Games begin!" say the legendary Claudius Templesmith

The tribute are then required to stand on their metal plate for sixty seconds, and a gong will sound signaling the beginning of the games. If they step off to early, bombs surrounding their plate will blow them up.

The arena this year is a wooded area with a few sources of water including ponds and a river. Off to the other side is a grass field that stretches for miles with very high grass. They tributes are in a field with a lake off to their right and the cornucopia right in front of them.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

The gong sounds and the games have officially began. The boy from 2, Cato, is the first to reach the cornucopian and his district partner, Clove, is right behind him. Soon everyone else begins to arrive at the cornucopia and the blood bath begins.

Prim grips my hand and burying her head in my hair. She stays there until most of the fighting is over.

"Prim, the blood bath is over, you can look now."

Thirteen of the tributes have been killed already. Including our tributes. Everyone already knew that they wouldn't be coming home, no one from our district ever does. Lillian and Jasper made no impression with the Capitol citizens. Their chariot outfit was a coal-mining outfit. Lillian had a training score of three; the lowest for this year and Jasper had a five. Both of their interviews were good, who would want to sponsor District 12 tribute who will likely die on day one.

Now that the initial fighting is over the recap is being shown. The dead include: the girl from three, the boy from five, both from six and seven, the boy from eight, both from nine and ten, and of course Lillian and Jasper from twelve.

Cato killed Jasper, while Lillian was hit in the back with a knife while fighting over a backpack with the boy from district nine, who died in the same fashion.

The nest two few hours of mandatory viewing are of the reaming tributes running away from the cornucopia and the careers digging through out their bounty at the cornucopia. Just before they mandatory viewing time is over, they head out into the woods in search of other tributes.

~0o0~

" As this is your last month in school, and you all will be working shortly, each and every one of you will need to fill out this form. You will fill out the form will where you will work, if you're family owns a business you can fill out the form accordingly. " The teacher explains

The form is being handed to me and I inwardly groan. I cannot work in the mines! My dad was killed in them. There are only two things that scare me, Prim being reaped and me working in the mines.

I'm in a bad position, I won't be able to hunt anymore if I do work there, but if I don't go into the mines I would be able to feed Prim. I love Prim enough to do it, even if I don't want to.

RING

The final bell of the day rings and I pick up my stuff and walk out of the room. I head to my locker grab my homework that will get done last minute tonight, and close my locker shut to find Peeta Mellark staring at me from his locker across the hall. I quickly look down and walk away.

I meet Gale's younger brothers Rory and Vick, and Prim at our usual meeting spot at the front of the school. We all start walking back to our homes in the Seam.

Prim quickly tells me about the good day she had at school. I just tell her I'm glad she had a good day. I don't tell her about how I will be working in the mines soon.

"Can we go look at the cakes in the bakery window, Katniss?" Prim asks me as we enter the town square.

"Okay."

"Yeah!" she says while grabbing my hand and dragging over.

"Aren't they just gorgeous!" Prim exclaims, while examining a little pink frosted cake with white and yellow flowers on it.

"Yeah"

And I actually mean it. Who ever decorates these cakes has talent.

"Thank you." I hear a voice say

I spin around and find myself looking into the eyes of Peeta Mellark.

"Did you decorate these?" asks Prim

"I did. Do you like them?" he replies back.

"Yes, they are beautiful! My favorite one is the pink one right there." She points to one she was looking at earlier.

"I like that one too. But my favorite one has to be the orange one on the left." he replies.

I look at the cake and the color is a bight but deep orange. The color looks familiar but I can't place. Then it suddenly it dawns on me it looks like sunset. Prim notices the same thing.

"It looks like the color at sunset." She says

"That's what I was going for, it is my favorite color." Peeta says

"Well, you did a good job. Prim I think we should go now." I say before either one of them say another word. "We have things to do and I'm sure he does too."

She nods at me and then she leans down and says "His name is Peeta."

"I know," I say "any reason your telling me."

"You referred to him as 'he'."

"So."

"So! He has a name Katniss."

"Well, yeah why is it such a big deal."

She just shrugs in response. Then waves to Peeta and say "Bye Peeta."

"Bye Prim. Bye Katniss." Peeta says as we walk away.

I turn around to see him walk into the bakery. I've barely ever spoken to him and we have maybe one class together. But here I am wondering how he knows my name.

**AN: Please review, they help me write! It only takes a minute of your day. Well, until next time. See you then. **


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